Mental Health Helplines Serving Underserved Youth

Use of mental health helplines (e.g., crisis lines, warmlines) has soared in recent years. Helplines reach millions of people with unmet mental health need. Yet very little is known about this service sector. We study how peer helpers working in mental health helplines are trained. We examine how technology can support the implementation of evidence-based strategies in this setting. We are especially interested in how this service sector can effectively reach and support youth from underserved backgrounds.